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Northern Maine Birding Festival is back!

Mark your calendars for June 8-10!

The Aroostook Birders invite anyone with a love of wild birds or bird watching to attend the Northern Maine Birding Festival coming in June. This year the festival is expanding with a return to the Aroostook State Park and continuing activities and walks at the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge.

Our festival is timed to take advantage of the long, sunny days of late spring and the abundance and diversity of breeding birds in northern Maine. It’s the time when bird song is at its peak, and the woods and fields are brilliant green and the trees and shrubs are in full flower.

Come on our guided bird walks to learn about the birds of the park and refuge. Whether you and your family are just beginning to come aware of the birds of our area or you’re a master naturalist looking to get reacquainted with the warblers and flycatchers, our expanded walks should offer something for
everyone.

This year the festival adds visits to some of our favorite birding sites at Lake Josephine and the boreal forests to the north.
Lectures on bird topics are scheduled, a live falcon will be on hand, and the popular bird-banding demonstration by a local ornithologist is returning. Kids can build at nest box, have fun painting your face like your favorite bird or learn to create bird origami.

So mark your calendars and spread the word that the Northern Maine Bird Festival is happening on June9th and 10th! Look for more information on the Aroostook Birders webpage and on Facebook.

Our Annual Waterfowl walk is coming up!

Northern Shoveler, Fort Fairfield, Maine

The Aroostook Birders kick off the spring bird watching season Saturday April 28th with the annual Waterfowl Walk in Fort Fairfield. We will meet at the Aroostook River boat launch just downstream of the Aroostook River bridge on Riverside Ave at 8 AM. We’ll spend a leisurely morning (carpooling) to visit several ducky locations along the Aroostook River and parks in town. Come celebrate Earth Day and learn about the migrating ducks and geese and other early spring migrant birds! Ends at 11 AM.

Rain or shine. Dress appropriately, bring binoculars, field guides, snacks and drinks. Short bathroom break midway through the morning.

It’s time, once again, for our Annual Business Meeting, Slideshow and Potluck!

We all know that birds of a feather flock together, so come join us for an evening of show and tell!

March 28th at 6:00 pm at Department of Environmental Protection, Presque Isle

Send us one of your very best bird photos of the year and bring a dish to add to our pot luck supper. We all hope for a pot of Bill’s Famous Chili again this year!

It’s time again for one of our favorite and most important events of the year, the

Annual Christmas Bird Counts!

More information to follow soon!

What a great outing to Long Lake last weekend!

Snow Geese – photo courtesy of Shawn Morneault

Northern Maine is finally getting more seasonable weather after two bonus months of summer.

Until recently, warm temperatures and regular southerly breezes seemed to have substantially stalled the movement of later fall migrants. The makeup of local goose flocks has remained relatively unchanged since mid-October. Only a couple Rough-legged Hawks have been reported. Sparrow migration has been unimpressive and only in the past couple days have finch numbers seemed to tic upward.

The Aroostook Birders’ field trip to Long Lake on Saturday turned up a few good sightings. The Snow Goose flock (49) that arrived in St Agatha in mid October continues and a Red-breasted Merganser and a Long-tailed Duck were noteworthy this far inland. A late Lesser Yellowlegs at St Agatha and not-so-late Wilson’s Snipe in Sinclair were the only shorebirds seen. Over fifty Bonaparte’s Gulls seen in two flocks on the north end of the lake were unusually late and numerous. A flock of late Cedar Waxwings stood in for the Bohemian Waxwings we usually find on this annual outing. A low count of Common Loons was likewise noteworthy… Typically ice up in shallower area lakes has begun by now. This usually will concentrate these birds here a Long Lake but clearly this is not the case this year.

Collins Pond in Caribou continues to host nearly two thousand Canada Geese daily. The flock of 12-15 Cackling Geese, first found in early October, also continues to return to the pond daily and were seen again this AM. Also noteworthy is an apparent hybrid Canada Goose x Greater White-fronted Goose that has a white head and brown breast which continued to be seen from the 18th until late last week.

At least four lingering Northern Shovelers and over fifty Gadwall were observed today at Lake Josephine in Easton. Three Long-tailed Ducks, several Bufflehead and 16 Lesser Scaup were also seen here.

The first Iceland Gulls of the season were spotted in a Caribou potato field on Saturday and the first big flock of Snow Buntings were seen on the Ouellette Cross Road in Cross Lake on the same day.

Evening Grosbeaks were reported at Madawaska, Frenchville and Woodland late last week and Pine Siskin and Purple Finch numbers are rapidly increasing in northern and central Aroostook but these have yet to be reported at feeders.

We had a lovely visit to Mars Hill this weekend.

The weather was great, lunch was fantastic and the birds didn’t disappoint us either! Lots of geese of course! But we also had good looks at Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal and Rock Pigeons hanging out with the geese! 7 species of shorebirds were a surprise with lots of Pectoral Sandpipers and a couple of uncommon Dunlin. 25 species in all :http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39614497

Thanks to all who joined in the fun! We’ll see you again November 4th at Long Lake!

Mars Hill Goose LunchYoung Dunlin, a species uncommonly seen in Aroostook County

On September 16th, we had a nice turn out for our walk at Christina Reservoir. There were quite a number of interesting sightings, a couple that had us stumped and a few added to the life list of several of our members. We had perfect weather and a great morning. Thanks to all who attended!

It’s time for a fun fall event with Aroostook Birders!

Canada Geese migrate through the County each fall, stopping for short stays, and one favorite stopover is the pond in Mars Hill. This year, instead of chasing the geese all over the County as in years past, we will “lunch” with them at the pond. Spotting scopes will be available to look for the occasional rare visitor traveling with them. We will look for Greater white-fronted geese or maybe even a Pink-footed Goose in an activity similar to “Where’s Waldo”.

Light refreshments and drinks will be available. For more information, please email us at: thearoostookbirders@gmail.com. We hope to see you there!

Join us September 16th as we check out the shorebirds at Christina Reservoir in Fort Fairfield! Please see the Events page for all the details. See you there!

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Members August Birding Trip to the Coast of Maine!

Itinerary:
Aug. 19 morning
Meet at Quoddy Head lighthouse in the morning of Aug. 19 at 7am.
We will then head south on Rt. 191 stopping at parks with trails where we can walk in as far as the group can handle:

Annual Waterfowl Walk – Fort Fairfield

The Aroostook Birders kick off the spring bird watching season Saturday April 22nd with the annual Waterfowl Walk in Fort Fairfield. We will meet at the Aroostook River boat launch just downstream of the Aroostook River bridge on Riverside Ave at 8 AM. We’ll spend a leisurely morning (carpooling) to visit several ducky locations along the Aroostook River and parks in town. Come celebrate Earth Day and learn about the migrating ducks and geese and other early spring migrant birds! Ends at 11 AM.

Rain or shine. Dress appropriately, bring binoculars, field guides, snacks and drinks. Short bathroom break midway through the morning.

Annual Business Meeting, Slideshow and Potluck –

April 5th – 6-8 pm

Location: Department of Environmental Protection Office

1235 Central Drive, Presque Isle, ME 04769

We all know that birds of a feather flock together, so come join us for an evening of show and tell! Send us one of your very best bird photos of the year and *bring a dish to add to our pot luck supper.* We all hope for a pot of Bill’s Famous Chili again this year!

Please submit one or two photos via email to: thearoostookbirders@gmail.com The more, the merrier!

*Include a brief description, date and location captured if available.

See you there!

Please join us on February 15th, 6:30-8:00 pm for a spectacular presentation of Birds of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, shared by Judith Roe.

Rufous Motmot

Ecuador has over 1600 species of birds including 132 species of hummingbirds and 69 species of tanagers. Judy Roe will show slides of birds from her trips to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. One trip was an Earthwatch trip to the Las Tangaras Reserve in Mindo, one of the best birding towns in the world. Don’t put down your binoculars! The reserve is lucky to have a lek (mating display congregation) of the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. The other trip was to the Galapagos Islands which belong to Ecuador. These volcanic islands have over twenty species of birds found only there, and they can be viewed up close with help of local guides as you trek on the islands during the day and drive by boat to the next island during the night. Birds of every color are found in Ecuador!

Location: “Alumni Room” in the Campus Center at the UMPI campus, 2nd floor

Please join us for movie night!

Please join us for movie night from 6:30 – 8:00 pm on January 19th, 2017.

We will be viewing the documentary “The Messenger” that explores the secrets of songbirds and their recent decline. There will be popcorn, coffee and hot cocoa!

It’s time for our 117th Annual Christmas Bird Count! Will you join us?

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) season is upon us and Aroostook Birders club has already begun preparations to host counts here in northern Maine. The CBC is an annual survey of wintering birds conducted by groups of citizen volunteers which comb the countryside within a “count circle” looking for any birds that can be found.

Almost a world-wide event now, the annual Christmas Bird Count enlists thousands of volunteers across the entire western hemisphere to try to tally all birds in dozens of countries. Here in the US, it’s been a citizen science tradition of hundreds of Audubon chapters and groups nationwide for over a century. As one of the longest running biological surveys, the extensive record of data provides valuable insights into how bird populations and their habitats are doing, and what needs to be done to protect them. Learn more about it here: http://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count

Locally, two CBC’s the Caribou/Limestone count and the Presque Isle count are planned.

The Presque Isle Christmas Bird Count has a long history, going back to the 1930’s. The count is centered in downtown Presque Isle and covers parts of Chapman, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Mapleton, Presque Isle and Westfield. This year the count date will be December 31st.

Run officially for the first time in 2011, the Caribou/Limestone Christmas Bird Count includes much of the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge and parts of Caribou including in-town, Connor, Fort Fairfield, Limestone (downtown), New Sweden and Woodland. This count (now Maine’s northern-most) will be held on December 17th.

It’s looking like a good year for irruptive species (https://vimeo.com/90747832) and we’re hearing news of lots of Northern Cardinals in the count areas this year. Between the two counts, over 80 species have been found, including such rare birds as Iceland Gulls, Snowy and Northern Hawk Owls, Rusty Blackbird and Hoary Redpolls! Hopefully new exciting discoveries will be made this season and hopefully you all will participate and encourage your neighbors and friends to join in as well. We welcome birders of all levels of expertise and (if you’d rather stay indoors where it’s nice and warm) we appreciate any feeder counts that can be made in the circles.

Presque Isle CBC Saturday Dec 31st with Jan 1 as a snowday. Again, contact Bill for assignments or meet at Presque Isle Tim Horton’s on Main Street at 6:30 AM.

Please join us!

Northern Maine Bird Update!

Yesterday afternoon was glorious (from a northern-Maine-in-November perspective) and I spent it birding until dark (4 PM). Its been a while since I’ve done this.

The usual goose roost ponds were surprisingly full of birds for so late in the season and I encountered large feeding flocks in several fields.

I saw about 6 thousand geese in my travels, with the largest assemblage (of about 1,800) being at Trafton Lake in Limestone. The birds were crowded in the distant eastern end, so a scope was necessary to tease out a couple Cackling Geese from the crowd. There were no other notable geese species in the flock, but a drake Canvasback drifting among the horde was a big surprise.

This was only my second or third-ever Canvasback I’ve seen in northern Maine. Though the bird was distant, I got a couple of digiscoped pictures that show the bird’s chestnut colored, sock puppet head, black breast and white body: http://ebird.org/ebird/me/view/checklist/S32624638

Big flocks of Bohemian Waxwings have shown up now in central Aroostook County and about 80 of these were working on the fruit trees in front of the Caribou Rec Center.

It seems the gull migration is near peak and Collins Pond in Caribou had a fantastic mass of bathing gulls as the sun was going down. There were six species seen including my first of fall Glaucous Gull (a first cycle), an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and a seasonal high count of at least 13 Iceland Gulls (one adult but the rest were first cycle).

The gulls were constantly arriving and leaving in small groups as they congregated to bathe and drink before heading to their night roosts around town. The pink and orange sunset lent a rosy wash to the gull’s breasts and had me thinking about Ross’s Gulls and a trip to the Arctic. Someday…

Happy Birding!

Bill

The outing to Long Lake was a great success!

This super friendly Gray Jay was captured by Jessica Dube as he came in for the landing on the head of one of our young birders!

New faces and a few VERY friendly feathered friends joined us for the day! The group spotted 24 species, including a couple that were added during a later afternoon trip a few of our members took to Pelletier Island.

On Sunday, Connie McClellan followed along the same route and reported that the town office spot was full of geese and golden eyes, and hundreds of Black-backed gulls.

Photo: Judy RoeDouble Crested Cormorant – Photo: Shawn Morneault

Bald Eagle with breakfast! – Photo: Shawn Morneault

The visit from this group of Gray Jays was quite a treat! Photo: Shawn Morneault

It’s time for a fun fall event with Aroostook Birders!

Canada Geese migrate through the County each fall, stopping for short stays, and one favorite stopover is Collins Pond in Caribou. Small flocks stay in the area feeding in harvested fields each morning. At lunchtime they all visit Collins Pond before returning to the fields in the afternoon, providing a rare spectacle for the area.

This year, instead of chasing the geese all over the County as in years past, we will “lunch” with them at the Collins Pond shelter. Spotting scopes will be available to look for the occasional rare visitor traveling with them. We will look for Greater white-fronted geese or maybe even a Pink-footed Goose in an activity similar to “Where’s Waldo”.

Light refreshments and drinks will be available. For more information, please email us at: thearoostookbirders@gmail.com. We hope to see you there!

August 6 @ 7:00 am – 10:30 am

Aroostook Birders will visit the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge in Limestone. We will bird the new Beaver Pond Trail and if we have time, also check the Chapman Pit trails off the Sawyer Road. With breeding season winding down, we can expect to see lots of young birds and busy adults. The earliest migrants are already moving so some surprises are likely. We will walk a mile or so, so wear comfortable footwear. Start at 7 AM and will be done by 10:30. Meet at the Refuge headquarters off the East Gate Road in Limestone. Rain or shine!

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Aroostook Birders will be joining in a conservation and education event in Houlton this Saturday. Come out and see us!

This upcoming exhibit at the University of Maine, Fort Kent may interest you!

FORT KENT, Maine – The University of Maine at Fort Kent’s Blake Library welcomes “Canada Geese: A Closer Look” by New England photographer Rachel Krebs. The exhibit will be on display in June and July, 2016.

Rachel captured these images while living in eastern Massachusetts. The photo collection includes a moving series of Canada geese mates. Other images highlight their powerful wings and beautiful black-and-white markings.

Also included are photos of goslings that display their remarkable bonds with one another and their mother. Rachel hopes that viewers will walk away with an appreciation of these often misunderstood birds.

The exhibit may be viewed during regular Blake Library hours. For more information, please contact Gallery Curator Sofia Birden at (207) 834-7527 or sbirden@maine.edu.

https://www.umfk.edu/library/about/exhibit/

Our walk through Aroostook State Park last weekend was great! It’s a nice location, filled with wildlife and a well kept park to visit.

We parked outside the gate around 6:45 Saturday morning and were joined by several of our members. We took off on foot to explore on a cool, misty morning. The trees are all leafed out obscuring our view, but we could hear birds surrounding us on all sides! Throughout the morning, we heard a lot more than we spotted. With the help of our walk leader, Judy Roe, the keen ears of Shawn Morneault and the handy Sibley’s app on my phone, we identified quite a variety of species by sound! It was a great learning experience as we worked together to identify the unique and beautiful bird songs we heard. I even added a few species to my life list, including the gorgeous Scarlet Tanager, Northern Parula and the Wood Thrush.

Join us for an early morning bird walk at Aroostook State Park. The fee for entrance is $3.00 per adult 12-64 of age, $1.00 for folks between the ages of 5-11, all others are free. We will split into groups, depending on the attendance, and search for returning migrants in the various habitats of the park. Warblers should be in abundance unless it is pouring rain!
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***June 11th, Paddling at Hodgdon Deadwater, 8am – Noon***

Please join us for a leisurely paddle along the deadwater in Hodgdon, Maine. This location in the Gordon Manuel Wildlife Management Area is summer home to a number of species of waterfowl. There is an established pair of Bald Eagles whose nest can be seen from the water. We hope there will be eaglets to view this trip!

Bring your canoe or kayak, drinking water, bug spray and sunscreen! We will meet in the parking lot next to Libby’s Dairy Bar right at the dam. Libby’s is also a great place for drinks, snacks or lunch.

The Aroostook Birders Annual Waterfowl Walk held in Fort Fairfield last Saturday was a huge success!

Northern Shoveler, Fort Fairfield, Maine

We had several members and one new family to our group on hand for the outing. It was a bit chilly and quite windy, at times, but the birds didn’t disappoint! A few of us were even able to log new Life List sightings with the Northern Shoveler, Long-tailed Duck and Black Scoter. That was a treat! If you missed it, here is our recap for the day.

We’d like to invite you to come out and show your support for our local outdoor partners and hear Bill Sheehan as he speaks representing Aroostook Birders at the International Appalachian Trail meeting in Presque Isle May 6-8, 2016.

“We are looking forward to a fun filled weekend with our IAT friends and colleagues in Presque Isle Maine! In addition to our annual meeting of the members and the board, there will be plenty of opportunity to socialize and take in a variety of topics including:

Sun Edison Wind Farm Tour/Geology at Mars Hill Mountain

Alaska to Maine – Snowmobile Ride of the Millennium (after dinner presentation – open to the public)

We hope you can join us! To register, mail registration form and payment to Maine Chapter IAT, PO Box 916, Gardiner, ME 04345 or make a payment online by going to the IAT website annual meeting page. Please forward registration information to carolgay@gwi.net . Registration and payment is due by April 29, 2016.”

For all who may be interested, our friends at the Francis Malcolm Science Center are hosting a fun event next Saturday!

COMING UP!!

Saturday, April 23 – Waterfowl Walk, 8-11 am

We will meet at Riverside Park, north end of

the Aroostook River bridge in Fort Fairfield,

for a leisurely morning spent birding

along the Aroostook River and visiting

other popular area sites for waterfowl and

early spring arrivals.

Rain or shine. For more information, please email us.

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Aroostook Birders Annual Slide Show and Pot Luck was a huge success! We enjoyed great food, great bird photos and great fun. We missed our members who weren’t able to make it out and hope to see you at one of the events we have coming up shortly.

Dr. Jason Johnston, associate professor of Biology and ornithologist at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, will give a presentation. He will display the teaching collection of birds for us to study up close. There will be a good diversity of birds on display and a discussion of collection and preservation methods.

All are welcome!

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The Annual Christmas Bird Count was a huge success thanks to YOU! Great appreciation goes out to all who shared their time in Caribou and Presque Isle this season. Some folks hit the road alone, some in small groups, and there were some counting from the feeders at home.

Thank you!

Reports coming soon…

Tomorrow is the big day!

Presque Isle, Maine

Audubon Christmas Bird Count

January 1, 2016!

We will meet at 6:45 am at Tim Horton’s

on Maine Street in Presque Isle to begin the count.

Until then, enjoy this great article about our very own local wildlife whisperer/photographer!

http://www.barcroft.tv/man-grouse-best-friends-maine-usa

Our Caribou area bird count last Saturday was a success! We all covered a lot of ground and saw many species of birds. The weather was gorgeous most of the morning, and the scenes along our route were breathtaking.

Dr. Jason Johnston, associate professor of Biology and ornithologist at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, will give a presentation. He will display the teaching collection of birds for us to study up close. There will be a good diversity of birds on display and a discussion of collection and preservation methods.

All are welcome!

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SAVE THE DATE!

February 10, 2016 at 7 p.m.

Presque Isle DEP building

1235 Central Drive

“Aroostook Birders Annual

Slide Show and Pot Luck!”

We all know that birds of a feather flock together, so come join us for an evening of show and tell! Bring one of your very best bird photos of the year and a

dish to add to our pot luck supper.

I seem to remember something about Bill making chili,

and Judy is thinking about a yummy dessert. I may have to make some of my

grandma’s southern jalapeno cornbread!

See you there!

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It’s time again for the

Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count!

Will you join us?

Bohemian Waxwings as seen on our early November group outing to St. Agatha.

CARIBOU, MAINE — On Saturday, December 19th, area birders will continue a long-standing holiday tradition — the Caribou Audubon Christmas Bird Count. This count will be followed by the Presque Isle Area Audubon Christmas Bird Count on January 1st. We need all hands on deck!

Organizers say they welcome volunteers to help with counting birds. According to club president and count coordinator, Bill Sheehan, all with an interest are invited to join in for all or part of the day, and new birders can usually be paired with an experienced volunteer to help with identification and rules.

“We hope beginning birders and more experienced folks who have never participated in a Christmas Bird Count will come out to give it a try,” says Sheehan. “It couples outdoor activity with a chance to learn about our local birdlife. Plus, you’re contributing to monitoring efforts and the conservation of birds.”

Count rules are simple. Field volunteers cover assigned areas and count all wild birds seen, with feeder watchers recording birds visiting home feeders in the 24-hour period. At the end of the day, counters meet up, compare notes and compile a master list.

Bill notes following the 2014 counts: “Two weeks ago in Caribou, we had 40 different species for the day, 10 higher than that area’s previous record with a good mix of waterfowl, fruit eaters, boreal birds and southern species such as cardinals and white-breasted nuthatches. I didn’t expect it, but we had a record breaking count.”

To participate in the Caribou or Presque Isle area Audubon Christmas Bird Count, contact Bill.j.Sheehan@gmail.com. For further information and updates, check back at the Aroostook Birders’ website, visit us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @AroostookBirder.

Farewell!

Last summer Aroostook Birders club lost its Publicity Chair when Sue Pinette moved south with her husband Bob to the Brunswick area. Everyone who enjoyed the colorful and informative AB Newsletters that Sue produced every couple months knows what a great asset she was for the club. Sue was instrumental in “spreading the word” and kept track of most of the logistical details that went into the many birdwalks, programs and events that Aroostook Birders Club put on over the past few years. We’ll miss both Bob and Sue, but they are getting settled and promise to have us down for a birding expedition sometime soon! Many thanks to both for all the hard work and energy they put into Aroostook Birders Club in its early years!